Origin
Two origins have been suggested for the Tan surname:
- The surname came from the ancient State of Tan which was located in the western part of what is now Shandong Province. During the Spring and Autumn Period, this state was conquered by the neighbouring State of Qi. The court changed their surname to Tan in remembrance of their defeated homeland, and later prospered in Hunan Province.
- The surname came from the less common surname 談, another with the same pronunciation in Mandarin and Cantonese. In order to avoid the revenge of their enemies, the clan leaders changed it to 譚.
A study by geneticist Yuan Yida has found that people with either of the two Tan surnames are especially concentrated in Hunan Province which would tend to support these accounts. This does not mean that they are the most common surnames in that province.
Read more about this topic: Tan (surname)
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Of here and there a tent in grove and orchard.”
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“For, though the origin of most of our words is forgotten, each word was at first a stroke of genius, and obtained currency, because for the moment it symbolized the world to the first speaker and to the hearer. The etymologist finds the deadest word to have been once a brilliant picture.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)